Category Archives: conflicting emotions

Sneak Peek into BREATH OF WATER: What makes the main character tick?

In my new book, BREATH OF WATER, Dulcie Chappell has a huge load of responsibility on her shoulders. Between the daily farm chores and processing the wool into fine woolen cloth and one-of-a-kind rugs, she maintains a fierce determination to … Continue reading

Posted in Appalachian highlands, Brainstorming characters, Breath of Water, conflicting emotions, creating characters, family history, fictional characters, historical fiction, strong female characters, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TAKE A SNEAK PEEK . . .

My soon-to-be-released novel, BREATH OF WATER, features the Chappell family who has birthed several generations in the mountains of western North Carolina. Dulcie Chappell has a special relationship with her grandma, except for one thing: Grandma has a deep faith … Continue reading

Posted in Breath of Water, conflicting emotions, creating characters, family history, fictional characters, historical fiction, new release, Relatable characters, Sneak peek, strong female characters | 1 Comment

Where Is Your Strength?

Welcome Marilyn Turk to my blog today. Congratulations, Marilyn, on your latest release, ABIGAIL’S SECRET. Newly widowed Abby Baker returns home to Hope Harbor with her young daughter to help her ailing mother, hoping to restart her life. Weighed down … Continue reading

Posted in conflicting emotions, creating characters, lighthouse, Marilyn Turk, military widow, Relatable characters, renovations, strong female characters, Where is your strength | Leave a comment

DO YOU HAVE A TWO-FACED CHARACTER?

When you call somebody two-faced, you are not giving them a compliment! But what if you have a character in your story with a “split personality?” That is– the other characters see her one way, but the readers see a … Continue reading

Posted in backdrop for characters, Brainstorming characters, conflicting emotions, creating characters, fictional characters, point of view, Relatable characters, Two-faced characters | Leave a comment

SETTING DETAILS — Where am I?

There is an expression used in fiction writing–“talking heads.” It means a character is speaking, his lines of dialogue are there, but the reader has no idea what this character looks like. Is he tall, short, fat, skinny, does he … Continue reading

Posted in backdrop for characters, conflicting emotions, creating setting, fictional characters, historic details, readers, Relatable characters, secondary characters, setting details, settings | Leave a comment

How Do You REALLY Feel?

We’ve all heard–and used–the expressions: Down deep in your heart…, my gut feeling…, her secret desire…, his hidden thoughts…, and one of my favorites: If I was to be truly honest… I’ve recently been working on some materials for a … Continue reading

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NEW AND OLD

As excited as I am when a new book releases, I am every bit as excited when my publisher releases some of my previous books as a three-in-one repack. Okay, I’m just a little over-the-moon giddy! New: In October, the … Continue reading

Posted in backdrop for characters, Brides of Georgia, conflicting emotions, creating characters, creating setting, fictional characters, Harbinger of Healing, historic details, historical fiction, New releases, north Georgia fiction, novella collection, Trail of Tears, War Between The States | Leave a comment

GIVING READERS THE UNEXPECTED

Have you ever come upon a road with which you were unfamiliar and did not know where it led? Did you wonder what was around the bend in the road? How many times have you bypassed such a road, opting … Continue reading

Posted in backdrop for characters, conflicting emotions, readers, unexpected plot twists, writing tools | Tagged | 1 Comment

Sharing A Brain

A number of years ago, I attended a writing workshop focused on injecting more emotion into the opening scene of a story. The leader of this workshop, DiAnn Mills, used an effective tool for teaching this writing skill—she tapped into … Continue reading

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PACKING UP

In just a few more days, I’ll be heading out to join some of my writing buddies for a week of brainstorming, research, book signings, and lots of hugs and laughter. My “to do” list was getting too long and … Continue reading

Posted in ACFW Author, book signing, conflicting emotions, creating characters, fictional characters, gift basket giveaway, new release, News, Sundays in Fredericksburg, traveling, What to pack | Leave a comment